Pub meal that wasn't right didn't eat it. Then they phoned police

stuvee02

Idiophreak wrote: »

1) Don't see anything dishonest - they told them they weren't paying
2) They weren't required to pay - they hadn't received the goods they'd asked for
3) They weren't expected to pay - they'd told the manager they weren't going to.
4) There was no amount due, so they weren't avoiding paying it.

This law is designed to stop people eating and running - not to force people into paying for substandard food...

Must try that in a shop;
1) pick up goods
2) tell a member of staff I'm not paying
3) walk out

Obviously no dishonesty there...

The pub expected the customer to pay because the pub had provided the meals ordered and believed (rightly or wrongly) the meals were as had been specified. When you go to a pub/restaurant and order food you clearly understand that payment is due. The amount may be subject to dispute/discussion/negotiation if the food is not as the customer requested or expected and that could lead to a 100% discount but to leave without paying anything and without leaving the pub any means of recovery is, as phlogeston makes very clear, an offence.

That was unlikely the intention of OP parents but (due to time travel issues) they didn't have the benefit of reading this thread before they went to the pub...;)

Stu

hums60

OK but the pub could of requested they leave their details
It's not like they ran out
But they didn't, shouldn't they of know the propper procedure more !

Idiophreak

stuvee02 wrote: »

Must try that in a shop;
1) pick up goods
2) tell a member of staff I'm not paying
3) walk out

Obviously no dishonesty there...

That's not actually what happened here, though. Try this:

1) pick up goods
2) tell a member of staff you're not paying
3) put down goods
4) walk out.

I bet they don't call the police...

poet123

Or even, "look at goods", as in, look at steak and see it is not cooked to your liking/specific order.

MORPH3US

When the op said that the parents asked for the steaks to be "redone" did they mean a) stick em back on the grill for a minute, or did they mean b) new steaks please and start again?

I'm just wondering because if it was option a, this whole matter could have been solved at no extra cost and a minute of the chef's time... the pub deserve to be out of pocket if that's the case.

poet123

As it seems they were overcooked,Ordered rare) I suspect it is option (B)

hums60

MORPH3US wrote: »

When the op said that the parents asked for the steaks to be "redone" did they mean a) stick em back on the grill for a minute, or did they mean b) new steaks please and start again?

I'm just wondering because if it was option a, this whole matter could have been solved at no extra cost and a minute of the chef's time... the pub deserve to be out of pocket if that's the case.

Asked to be redone as they were well over cooked

hums60

hums60 wrote: »

Asked to be redone as they were well over cooked

But still wanted parents to pay for the orginal steaks!! Therefore 4 steaks!!:eek:

tbw

hums60 wrote: »

But still wanted parents to pay for the orginal steaks!! Therefore 4 steaks!!:eek:

I no longer ever order steak when I'm out cos it is NEVER cooked as I like it! I can't bear blood, red in the middle or even pink but I want it well done, not cremated! I've lost count of the times in the past when my steak has gone back to have a few more minutes on the grill - now I cook it at home and its just as I want it.

If the steak was overcooked and it was ordered medium or rare then I would expect a reputable restuarant - or anywhere else that valued repeat custom - to cook me another one. I certainly would not expect to pay for a steak that I could not eat and enjoy because the chef had overcooked it and I don't see why the OPs parents/inlaws should have had to pay for the original duff meals AND a replacement. Anyway, from what the OP said the rest of the meal was overcooked as well.

Part of the problem is that we Brits generally tend to accept whatever badly prepared food we are given! Many times I have sat in a restuarant and overheard people at a nearby table moaning to each other about their overcooked steak, dry fish, soggy pasta etc. When the waiter comes and says 'everything all right ?' what do they say ? 'Absolutely lovely ,thank you ' !!! So it comes as a bit of a shock to staff who couldn't give a monkeys about food quality when a customer actually says ' hang about, the food was absolute rubbish'.

I don't blame the customers for telling the restuarant to stuff their food and walking out. But they really should have left an address.

pendulum

My primary concern would be getting the police to drop their interest in this. Make sure they know your parents had every intention of paying, but the food offered was not satisfactory, so they didn't even touch it. If the food is part-eaten then it's very likely address details would need to be left it paying nothing, but as it was not even touched or eaten at all, I think they've got a good chance of getting away with not leaving details in that situation. Not a lot of people would see the necessity.

It's just the police I'd be worrying about. I'd be trying to convince the police it was a civil matter, by doing a lot of writing in, even complain that the police are investigating this. Remember, it's not the end of the world if the police in their madness do decide to charge them with anything. They're innocent until tried by a court and I just cannot see the CPS giving it the go-ahead once they have had the chance to read your parents statements.